Eavestrough systems work effectively in directing water from a roof to a particular downspout and subsequently discharging the water at a point spaced a certain distance from the house or structure. A number of different products are available for connection with the lower edge of a downspout for directing and discharging the water. It is recommended and often essential that the water be discharged at least three to four feet from a foundation wall to avoid problems associated with the water flowing back to the foundation wall and leaking interior to the structure or causing other foundation problems.
Existing products include hingeable downspout extensions which are connected to the lower part of a downspout and are movable between an upright position, that allows the homeowner to temporarily move the structure for cutting of grass, to an extended position where the water is discharged a number of feet from the house. Another approach is to use a splash block provided on the ground. These splash blocks are typically prefabricated plastic or concrete structures designed to receive the discharge of a downspout or elbow and move the water to the edge of the splash block. The splash block is also designed to slow the discharge of the water whereby erosion at the edge of the splash block is avoided or reduced.
It is also known to use buried drainage pipe for directing the water often a longer distance to a suitable discharge point such as a ditch or other low location. Such underground systems typically use rigid plastic pipe or flexible corrugated pipe. These products are designed to be buried and to withstand certain loads without collapsing.
It is also known to use a flexible extendible downspout diverter having a corrugated or pleated central section which allows adjustment of the length of the diverter. The downspout diverter has a rectangular connector at one end thereof for connecting with a downspout of a common size and a rectangular connection at the other end for connecting with a different size of downspout. This product is offered by GUTTER WORLD. In addition to the two different sizes of rectangular connectors, other specialized cross sections are provided for connecting of the product to itself and connecting with other products. This known diverter is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,223,777; 6,041,825; 5,915,735 and 5,813,701.
The present invention provides an extendible downspout extension designed to cooperate with different types of standard rectangular downspouts presently being used and also to cooperate with existing underground drainage systems. The product is intuitive and allows simple connection without cutting or allows the end purchaser to cut off a redundant downspout connector for a more precise finish. In addition, the product is such that it is readily understood with respect to the various possible applications of the product to extend the discharge system by adding a further downspout extension or connecting with a standard underground drainage system.